


To My Pen Pal

by orphan_account



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Pen Pals, Some texting, depressed Tyler, i rlly don't know how to tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-11 13:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 12,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8982397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tyler and Josh are pen pals from neighboring high schools





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was once again a random idea from me 
> 
> These are gonna be pretty short chapters

To my pen pal,

I don't know you, but this is a district requirement. 

You go to that other high school a few miles away, right?

I'm sorry you got stuck with me as your pal.

Sincerely, Nobody important


	2. Chapter 2

"Your first letter from your pen pal has arrived." Miss Parker announced as the class got settled down. For some odd reason, the class was actually quiet for once. "Your pen pal will have a similar interest with you. A few weeks ago you were given an application to fill out truthfully. It listed a bunch of different activities and asked questions about what type of music you like, or what you do in your free time; things like that.

"Our school, West High and our neighboring school, North High have taken those applications and compared them. This letter you will receive today is from someone at North High who shares a main interest with you—you two might have something else in common as well, that's for you to find out." She looked at a different sheet of paper on her clipboard. After a few seconds of looking over it she grabbed a stack of envelopes that were sitting on her desk.

"Their names are marked on here but I'm going to mark out their name as I hand you your envelope. Try to get them to tell you it, if they haven't already. The point of this is to make a friend out of a stranger." She walked around looking at the list of names on her clipboard and the names on the envelopes. She would look at the envelope then at the clipboard and match the names; after that she would mark off the name on the envelope and lay the envelope on a students desk.

"What if I get a hot guy?" Brendon asked as he bumped shoulders with Josh.

"You wouldn't know what they look like, smart one." Josh scoffed with an eye roll. "Knowing what you're into you might get stuck with a girl."

"Don't jinx me..." Brendon said with a pout. "I just want to find someone to love me."

"A pen pal won't love you, Brendon." Josh said as he patted Brendon's shoulder. Brendon faked a cry as his letter was put on his desk. He stopped all his shenanigans and opened the letter. "What's it say?" Josh asked.

"I'm gonna be good friends with this guy." Brendon nodded to himself, it was a very confident nod. "He said, and I quote, "fuck, what the fuck, I'm gonna fuck you, you fuck.", end of quote."

"Wow, seems like a great guy." Josh said with a small smile. Brendon nodded.

"Where the hell is your letter?" Brendon asked, Josh shrugged.

"I don't know, don't really care. This seems a little forced." Josh watched as everyone opened their letters, some people smiled while others looked unsure of what to say. There was one letter left and it just so happened to be Josh's. It was placed on his desk without a care.

Josh couldn't help but notice how the envelope bent and looked crinkled. His pen pal must have been nervous or something, this isn't how an envelope worked. He could see an ink smear on the front. Josh felt like the person was a slob, just from this. He felt like he wouldn't be able to read their handwriting, he wouldn't understand what they're saying, he thought this was going to be a giant mess. So with a great sigh he opened the envelope. He was very shocked when he saw beautiful, cursive handwriting that was readable. He read the letter to himself slowly, loving this persons handwriting.

 _I_ _don't know you, but this is a district requirement_.

Josh stopped for a moment. A district requirement? So not only were these two schools doing this, the whole district was? To think that West High might have actually had something unique going on.

_You go to that other high school a few miles away, right?_

Josh nodded answering the question without realizing it.

_I'm sorry you got stuck with me as your pal.  
Sincerely, nobody important_

Josh once again stopped.

What? That was it? The person with beautiful handwriting didn't even leave their name.

Brendon was re-reading his letter over and over again. Josh looked over to him and shook his head.

"For my reply I'm gonna write, "fuck me"." Brendon said, Josh laughed. Miss Parker started passing out paper and envelopes. Looks like it's West High's time to write back to their new pen pals.

P

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope this is okay lol


	3. Chapter 3

To My Mysterious New Bud,

Yes, I do go to the high school a few miles away. We're West High. It's an okay school. What's it like at North High? I've heard it's about the same.

I wanted to say that I really liked your handwriting, I was mesmerized by it for a little bit. I also wanted to say that you seem like a cool person. I hope we can get along well.

Talk to you later,  
       Joshua Dun


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tyler skips practice to hang out with a friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you all enjoyed your holidays : )

Tyler leaned against his locker, a small grin playing his lips as a rosy hue rested on his cheeks. _Mesmerized by his handwriting?_ There is no reason for Tyler to smile and be cheery about that, but he is. Heck, it's not everyday Tyler gets compliments from strangers; it's nice. Makes him feel good about himself—that's a change.

That small happiness didn't last long. 

"Come on Joseph, the boys are going to practice during lunch. We've gotta go join 'em." The captain of the basketball team, Austin, said as the hallways cleared. Tyler mentally sighed. Boring. Boring - boring - boring! It's a pain. It's exhausting. It's annoying. He needed an excuse not to go. 

"I'm feeling sick. My stomach is turning, I think I'll skip playing around today - sorry." Feeling sick? That's the best he could come up with? He has used that excuse so many times, someone is bound to find out that he's faking it soon. Cross that bridge when it comes. 

"Oh," Tyler's grip tightened around the letter in his hands. Austin didn't look too impressed. Tyler has been skipping lunch practice almost all this week and last week. 

"You should start coming, you are a starter you know. You're not special either, you can be replaced." Austin spoke, his tone make Tyler shiver but also pissed him off. 

"You do know lunch practice isn't mandatory, right? I don't have to go to - it's only there for people who want to go." Tyler said. "Wait, I guess you have to go, being the captain and all." 

"Shut the fuck up, Joseph. You're getting on my last nerve." Austin clenched his fist and bit his bottom lip in frustration. Tyler wasn't going to lie, he looked really intimidating. Tyler would be scared, anyone would; a six-foot-three muscular senior standing in front of you with a look that said they wanted to kill you, yeah, anyone would be terrified right now. The only reason Tyler kept his cool was because he knew that Austin wouldn't hit him. That would be an automatic de-rank and suspension for Austin, he could also get kicked off the team for good; for some odd reason basketball was really important to Austin. 

 Austin stood there just giving Tyler some angry vibes before anything else was said Tyler started walking away. If there was one place he could go it was the music room, his friend was usually there for lunch as well. 

He walked up to the music room and peeked through the window, sure enough, she was there sitting on a stool stringing her guitar. Tyler slowly opened the door and stepped in, making sure not to disturb the girl that was violently stringing the guitar strings. He took in a random chair as she finished. 

"Goddamnit!" She yelled as she turned around. She pulled at her pigtails as she dropped the guitar. She stared at Tyler before yelling again. "I fucking hate math! Do you know what I scored on my dumbass test?" She yelled. This was a weekly thing since in math they took a test every week. 

"What did you score?" Tyler asked, he still played with the letter in his hands. 

"A fucking 17, do you know what my mom will say?" The room went silent, Tyler quickly shook his head. "Well, she would probably be used to it because I've been doing this all year so far. She'd say something like, "You'll do better next time,". Okay, well momma, last time I got a 34, this time I got 17, if I do my math correctly 34 is greater than 17 meaning I did better last time - not the second time!" 

"Do you even care about your math grade?" Tyler asked. 

"Well no, but you're passing so I want to pass." She whined. 

"Right," Tyler sighed. "Melanie, I told you last time-"

"Shut up, you always tell me the same thing, "Just study and it'll be fine," - "Study and things will work out," Bitch! I've been studying! It's getting me nowhere." She hissed, Tyler laughed as she rolled her eyes. "You think it's so funny? Okay then, Tyler, what is your science grade?" Tyler stopped laughing and stared at the girl. 

"We do not talk about that, missy." Tyler hushed her. Now it was her turn to laugh. After moment Melanie finally noticed the letter in Tyler's hands, she swiftly took it and read over it before Tyler could protest. A moment later she was in awe and smiling freely. 

"Joshua Dun, Joshua Dun. J-O-S-H-U-A D-U-N. That name has probably been stuck in your head all day, hasn't it?" Melanie snickered, a faint blush covered Tyler's pouted face. "So adorable. What are you going to say to him?" 

"I don't know, I'll think about it when I'm ready to write something." Tyler shrugged like it didn't matter but it did matter. This mattered a lot to him because Melanie was his only friend and this could be a chance to make another friend, maybe, possibly. "Who's your pen pal?" 

"Oh, it's this Ashley chick with a really hard last name to pronounce. I looked her up on like all my social media sites because she said to follow her @halsey on everything. She's pretty cute if I do say so." Melanie said without a care in the world. "How come all the people I think are cute don't go to this school?" 

"You don't think I'm cute?" Tyler asked playfully. 

"Hell no, you're fucking disgusting with your deep brown eyes and your swirly, soft hair, and charming smile. You're like that type of candy that is too sweet and people don't eat it because they're too scared to get a cavity." Melanie said as Tyler laughed. "I'm hungry and I'm craving Taco Bell." 

"Then let's waste no time, you have a car, let's go!" Tyler said as he stood up. Melanie smiled as they walked out the door and soon out of the school. Hopefully, they make it back in time before next hour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading, have a good rest of whatever time period your in idk


	5. Chapter 5

To My Pen Pal,

 North High is okay, I guess. Nothing special. 

 I wanted to say thank you for the compliment on my penmanship, I don't get compliments very often so it was special to me.  Though my thanks probably doesn't mean much, I am just a stranger after all. 

 Joshua Dun is a nice name. Is that weird to say - er, write? If so I'm sorry. I don't really know what else to say at the moment, my mind is drawing a total blank...

I guess I'll go for now, class is about to start and my friend is telling me to hurry.

  Sincerely, Your Pen Pal


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> melatonin is coming for you (r number Ashley)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if brendon were to get into a relationship who would you prefer him with?

HEY ASHLEY!!!!

 I wanted to ask you about someone that goes to your school. Does the name Joshua Dun ring a bell?

DUN Dun dUN

He's my friends pen pal and I wanted to know more about who makes my friend blush from a single sentence.

Hey!!iii!!! give me his social media names/what they're used for, please, okay.

also give me your phone number.

wink wonk

I mean, what?

*horrible attempt at drawing a lenny face*

I'll talk to you once I get that number *finger guns*

I swear im not a player, okay.

why am I still talking?????

See ya

~Sincerely, Your Future Bae Melanie 

 P.S no, im not failing English. I have a 93.4 percent in that class

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lunch at west high

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you lot are enjoying this <3

The cafeteria was rowdy. Loud, obnoxious, and angsty teenagers filled the room. The smell of sweat, perfume, school cafeteria food and stinky feet mixed together to combine a disgusting smell that annoyed you all day. It stayed in your senses from when you enter the cafeteria until you exit the school, or at least until you get to a classroom that has an open window; that was actually common after lunch. Teachers would get sick from the smell so they opened their windows, a lot of teachers also had Febreeze in their classrooms just for the occasion. 

Josh stood in front of the cafeteria door, mentally preparing himself for the stench. Yes, it was that gross. He took a breath and stepped into the room, quickly he rushed to the table Brendon was already sat at. He noticed rather quickly how giddy Brendon was as he read a letter. A chuckle left Josh's lips, not many people were keeping in touch with their pen pals from North High. A lot of people sent the first letter then quit because they didn't want to go through the 'hassle'. Brendon said he was going to stick with it all the way through because his pen pal is just so amazing. Josh wants to stick with it because it's a cool concept, but if his pen pal doesn't want to then he's going to stop. 

"What's it say this time?" Josh asked as he rested his elbows on the table.

"I got the fuckers name and Instagram," Brendon said as he quickly unlocked his phone and went to his Instagram. Without hesitation he typed in a name and pressed the follow button; only moments later there was a chime and notification saying that he had then gained a follower. "Oh Hell yeah," Brendon smiled brightly. After shutting the phone he looked at Josh. "Did you receive a second letter?" Brendon asked carefully. People from North High have also given up on their pen pals after the first letter. Josh shrugged. 

"I asked Ashley to see if I had one waiting in the office. She's picking hers up right now, should be here any moment." Josh said with a carefree smile. Brendon nodded. 

"He's hot," Brendon said out of the blue. Josh knew he was talking about his pen pal, who else could Brendon possibly be talking about? "Like, super hot. I would not mind getting in front of that." 

"He would think you're a freak if he heard you talking like this," Ashley said as she sat in front of the boys with a smirk.

"Oh shit, it's my favorite lesbian." Ashley rolled her eyes and smiled. 

"Oh shit, it's my favorite gay." Ashley mocked. Brendon smiled a toothy grin.

"You hear that Josh, I'm her favorite gay; not you." Josh pushed Brendon away from him with a laugh. Ashley handed Josh an envelope. Josh mentally let out a breath of relief. He was actually scared that he wasn't going to get another letter from his pen pal. 

Ashley opened hers and read it to herself, a smile on her face. Josh read over his quickly. He couldn't help the smile. Jesus, his pen pal seemed adorable. 

_Joshua Dun is a nice name. Is that weird to say - er, write?_

"God," Josh laughed out. Brendon raised an eyebrow. 

"Josh, you look creepy." Brendon poked his cheek, Josh instantly slapped his finger away. Brendon huffed and looked over to Ashley. She was doing the same as Josh, Brendon felt uncomfortable. "Ashley, you look creepy too," Brendon said. The two didn't respond as they read over and over the letter they received. Ashley was the first the finish as she slammed her fist on the table. 

"Joshua!" Ashley yelled at the boy, it wasn't heard by anyone other than those at the table because of how noisy the room was. 

"What?" Josh asked as he looked up at Ashley. 

"My pen pal and your pen pal are totally like best friends!" Ashley said with a smirk. Josh looked at her oddly. "So, I'm sorry to tell you, my pen pal is a million times cuter than yours will ever be." Josh raised an eyebrow. 

"And how would you know that?" 

"I have her Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, you know, all that good stuff," Ashley's smirk grew. "Wanna see?" She twiddled her phone in front of Josh, he took it and unlocked it going straight to her Instagram. "She's Crybaby, just so you know." 

Josh had to admit, she was pretty. Her style was different and he liked it. He looked at one picture of her and a boy hiding his face with his hands. The caption on the picture said, 'crybaby and ty-baby hanging out at the movies!!!! @blurryfacetyler' Ty-Baby and Crybaby, that was pretty cute. 

"Alright, she's not bad," Josh admitted. Ashley laughed. "Let me see that letter she sent you." Ashley held her hand out, Josh rolled his eyes as he handed her his letter and she handed him hers. 

"Oh my God, she did the 'Dun Dun Dun' thing, I love her already," Brendon said as he read the letter over Josh's shoulder. "'I swear I'm not a player', Is this girl my soulmate?" 

"She's a lesbian, therefore she's my soulmate, dumbass," Ashley said. "Holy shit, 'Joshua Dun is a nice name. Is that weird to say - er, write?' Why does this seem adorable? I bet they're awkward." Josh just nodded along as he read over part of a sentence over and over again. / _I wanted to know more about who makes my friend blush from a single sentence./_ Josh felt a sense of pride, sure he's made people blush before but never from one sentence. This was a new achievement unlocked. 

"I want to meet these guys in real life. You think they'd be down to see a movie this weekend?" Brendon asked the two shrugged in response. "I'm going to see if Dallon knows them, what's their names?" 

"Melanie Martinez," Ashley said automatically. Brendon nodded and looked at Josh. 

"I don't even know their name. I don't even know their gender. I don't want to rush things, I want to get to know this person before I do something like that. It's a little weird to me." Brendon nodded again. 

"So Josh is a slump," Brendon said to himself with a nod. "I guess it'll be me and Ashley on a double date with two hotties." Josh once again rolled his eyes. 

"That's if they accept the invitation, you can always get rejected." Josh reminded them. They both shushed him making him laugh. Soon the bell rang, Josh got up waving his friends off as he went to his next class. 

 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i havent been as frequent (i missed like two days?) ive had basketball practice again and our break is about to end meaning more school and less writing D:

To My Buddy Ol' Pal

  It's not weird, well at least I didn't find it weird. I thought of it uh, as cute? Yeah, cute. 

  My friends are going to the movies this weekend with their pen pals [hopefully]. Two idiots think that their pals are going to accept. They might, actually. I think they all shared their social media names and are following each other. 

 Maybe we could do that? If you want to, that is. Here are my usernames. 

 twitter - joshuadun

 insta - spookyjosh

 snapchat - joshdun

 Sincerely, Your New Friend Josh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i only follow josh on twitter so i dont know the others, plus im making them random at that.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wrote this at 3am sorry for any mistakes

Sometimes falling asleep just isn't an option. Sometimes falling asleep is far more difficult than it should be. Sometimes it feels like sleep is running away and you're chasing it. You're chasing it and using so much energy to try and catch sleep but you just can't catch it. You can't catch it because another entity pushes you down as soon as sleep is in arms length. This entity pushes you to the ground in your mind and they stomp on your leg, not hard enough to break it but hard enough that you feel pain and that it stays with you. That entity is a dark thought. A thought about life. A thought.

When sleep is right in front of you and you're almost asleep, your eyes are about to shut and you're about to fall into the void of rest you've been searching for -something happens - 'oh look, it's me, a thought that will make you contemplate life and your entire existence. Oh, I'll also keep you up until another one of my buds appear.'

It's nights like this Tyler wishes he could block his own brain off. Just shut down until morning. He just wants some sleep, any sleep, even a wink of sleep would be appreciated. What did he get that night? A whole not of nothing.

The sun took forever to rise. Tyler stared at the window as the moon looked down at him. It seemed to taunt him as it shined on the sleeping neighborhood. Everything is silent and asleep. Tyler wishes desperately to fall asleep for an hour. It didn't work. He blinked a few times and without realization a few tears flowed out of his eyes. His eyelashes felt heavier as the little bit of salty water made contact with them.

Tyler didn't want to move. He really didn't. His limbs felt like lead as he rested on his bed. He felt like gravity was against him - like he was being held down.

His body was exhausted. His mind was exhausted. He was exhausted.

With a low grunt Tyler turned over, another small tear slipped unintentionally as he looked over at the clock. 3:19am.

His limbs went limp as he gave up and fell back into the bed. Gravity pushing him back down just like everything else in this world.

He started up at the ceiling as another thought passed through his tired mind. It was endless. A cycle that will continue to repeat its self. Tyler hated it. After what felt to be about five hours Tyler turned his head to look at the clock again 4:05am.

Tyler really wanted to just jump out of bed and bang his head against the wall. Maybe that would knock these awful thoughts out of his head. He probably would do it but right now he has no motivation to go against gravity and move. He feels too weak to lift a finger, too weak to wiggle a toe, too weak to even lick his dry lips.

At 4:10am Tyler remembered something. Something that would help him. Something that might be able to calm him a bit. Probably not, but anything is worth a shot.

Tyler liked the idea. He found motivation to get up from the bed. He forgot all about smashing his head into a wall as he walks over to his backpack. He weakly sits his body in the floor. His feet feel numb as they touch the carpet. The fluffy, soft carpet tickled his numb and slightly cold feet. It was a nice relaxing feeling.

Tyler opened his backpack's biggest pocket. Inside the biggest pocket was a smaller pocket, slightly hidden behind books and folders. Tyler opened the pocket and pulled out an envelope. He looked at Josh's semi-sloppy handwriting with a small smile gracing his lips.

He pulled out his phone and opened his Instagram. He automatically went to the search bar and searched spookyjosh. The first account popped up and Tyler followed it. He repeated the action on Twitter and snapchat.

He'd have to wait for the snapchat and Instagram request to be accepted. So he closed the apps and went back to Twitter. His hands shook as he pressed on the profile pic and was taken to the page of Joshua Dun.

The page loaded quickly and Tyler scrolled down the screen. There was a picture, a picture of a male with a bright smile, squinted eyes, and dyed blonde hair. Tyler noticed the piercings and gauges quickly; If Tyler is honest he never really found piercings and gauges attracted, but heck, people change. Joshua Dun made it look freaking amazing.

Tyler scrolled down more to see other post, he saw a post that said "Brendon and Ashley are idiots, unfollowing ✌️ @halsey @bburie". Down in the comments of that post were Brendon and Ashley.

@halsey said, "hahahaha watch ur back dun", while @bburie said "jokes on you I've already been unfollowing you,". Tyler laughed as he noticed the post was from that day, well, at a time during after school. Not 4 in the morning.

Tyler scrolled down to see a picture of Joshua watching something on the television. There was another guy sitting on the arm of the couch looking very interested in the show. "Stole Josh's phone, it's movie night with the gay gang" was the caption. Tyler smiled as he continued to scroll. Before long his alarm went off, that really surprised Tyler. He wasn't feeling tired or sad right now like he usually is when he spends the whole night fighting to fall asleep. He's fine, for the time being.

He quickly does his morning routine: brushing his teeth, laying out an outfit, taking a shower, drying his hair, getting dressed, grabbing school gear, making sure to have his phone and finally leaving. Breakfast wasn't really that big of a deal to him.

As he reached for the doorknob his mother yelled his name from the kitchen, "Tyler, come here!" She called. Tyler frowned as his mood shrunk. He stepped into the kitchen and was handed a pill and glass of water. His mother stared at him as he took the pill and walked out the door.

As soon as the door was closed and he was outside he felt like throwing up. Water in the morning made him sick to his stomach. Those pills make him feel sick. When they go down his throat it's a sickening feeling, he knows he probably won't show much emotion now that he's taken the pill. He knows that his parents think it's helping, but to be quite frank, it's not helping. Having to know you're being put on medication that is supposed to help you and make you feel better because you can't do that yourself is an awful feeling. Tyler hates it.

He was about to throw it up, he really was. His stomach fought against the medicine and water mix. He was bent over, breathing heavy as he tried to keep it down. "Shit, shit shit shit," Melanie rushed over to Tyler and stood him up straight before pushing her morning milkshake straw into his mouth. Tyler started to drink some of the milkshake. After a few sips and minutes later Tyler was feeling better. Now there was something else in his stomach to counter the pill. "Let's go, we're going to be late." Tyler nodded as they walked to school together in silence.

Melanie looked at Tyler. She examined him with a frown. 7:22am and he looks this miserable and lifeless. Goddamnit, it made her mad that her friend was going through all this.

"Wanna go to the movies this weekend?" Melanie asked as they stepped onto school grounds. Tyler thought for a moment before shrugging.

"I dunno, you're going with your pen pal, I don't wanna be a bother on your date." Tyler smiled, Melanie looked at him sadly. "I'll have my own little movie night at home. Maybe message you every now and then to make sure you're not going to get too crazy," Melanie rolled her eyes.

"Geez Tyler," Melanie nudged him. "I'll try to keep that in mind," the bell rung loudly through the yard. Everyone rushed into the now open school doors. "See ya third hour,"

"See ya," At his locker Tyler pulled out his binder and wrote a quick letter to Joshua. His handwriting looked sloppy to himself but really it was perfect. He realized the few envelopes the teachers gave students were gone, he used them already. In a slight panic Tyler looked around. The person next to Tyler locker opened there's. Tyler felt slight relief, "Um, Dallon?" Tyler asked, his voice was quite high because he was embarrassed. This was a normal thing that just made him more embarrassed.

"Yeah?" Dallon asked not even looking over to Tyler as he got his supplies ready. "What's up?"

"You um, you wouldn't happen to have an envelope I could have? I need to buy some, I'll get you some more back—" Dallon handed Tyler a small stack of envelopes with a smile.

"I've already bought a package of five hundred. Taking measures and all," Dallon said. "Good to know people are still doing this. Bye, Tyler." Dallon walked off and Tyler was confused yet thankful. He slipped the letter in and quickly closed it, ignoring the awful taste in his tongue. He rushed to the office and grabbed a pen to write Joshua's name on the front. He gave the envelope to the office counselor as she smiled at him.

"You've got two minutes until class starts," she said Tyler nodded and made his way to class. He sat down and the day started.  



	10. Chapter 10

To My Pen Pal,

 I followed you on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. I was looking through some photos and saw that you and your friends get along well. What you guys posted gave me a laugh. 

 I'm running late because an incident this morning, so sorry I can't really write more. I still have to find an envelope so I can send this to you. 

 Sincerely, Ty-Baby (as Melanie calls me)


	11. Chapter 11

The classroom was silent. Kids were quickly writing on paper and solving math problems as fast as they could. Josh's hand cramped at how hard he was gripping the pencil. Pieces of eraser were scattered all across his desk and paper. He looked at the problem as he bit the inside of his cheek. Damn, damn, damn. He studied last night because he knew his asshole of a teacher was going to give them a pop quiz. He always does on Friday's. [how some people are still surprised-Josh will never know]

Josh sighed and ran a quick hand through his hair. This was stressful. He couldn't remember how to solve the last three problems. He put his pencil down in defeat with a huff. His brain wasn't ready for this class this early in the morning...though his brain should be ready because it is almost lunch time meaning that this is his fourth hour of the day. Josh honestly does not remember much from his last three classes. 

Whoops.

He looked at the teachers' desk to see that there were two minutes left on the timer. How much time did their teacher give them for this test? Jeez. 

Josh looked around the classroom. The top students in this class were done. They were also looking around the room; boredom laced their facial features. He noticed that there were some kids like him who just gave up on the last few questions. He also noticed that there were some struggling with the whole test as they quickly looked over everything with a confused look. As Josh glanced to his right he noticed Brendon was biting his pencil. Brendon's eyes were concentrated on the paper as he scribbled numbers down. 

Josh watched as Brendon continued to harshly stare at the paper. Josh started to count down as soon as the pencil left Brendon's mouth.

...3, 2, 1

"Fuck!" Brendon yelled out disturbing the classroom. "What the hell? What is this shit? Who the fuck came up with this nonsense?" Brendon asked. 

"Urie! Sit down!" 

"When did we learn this?" Brendon asked very loudly. Josh clasped a hand over his mouth to keep his laughter to himself. 

"You were supposed to look into your book-"

"Who does that? Well, besides the three overachievers in this class that is. What normal person did that?" Brendon sighed loudly. 

"Mister Urie!" The teacher yelled. The timer went off after he yelled meaning that the quiz was over. Everyone stood up and started turning in their quiz. The teacher sat back in his chair as he gripped his hair like he does every Friday during the fourth hour. "Silence for the last ten minutes of class." He said as he rested his head on his desk. 

Brendon looked over to Josh and gave him a grin and a thumbs up. Their little scheme worked again. 

See, after a test or quiz on Friday, there's usually ten to fifteen minutes left of class. That's about enough time for their teacher to teach the next lesson and give them homework to do over the weekend. No one should have homework over the weekend, especially math homework. 

A month or two back Brendon was genuinely getting frustrated with the last few questions on the quiz because their teacher didn't show them how to work that problem out in class. The only way to possibly know how to solve would be if you read the book, there were only three people in their class that read the book. Brendon was in a cranky mood, it was Friday, he just wanted to go home and relax. 

Brendon had a reputation with the teachers. He was a good, hard-working, courageous student who always did his work. That's what all his teachers thought. His math teacher was the first to get a piece of the real Brendon Urie. Boy, did that surprise him, Brendon being disruptive? What?

Brendon outbursted and yelled about how the last few questions were complete and utter bullshit. The teacher was very shocked, so was Josh. Josh thought Brendon was trying to be a teacher's pet this year. 

Brendon's outburst shocked and angered their teacher so much that he stopped the test, picked it up from everyone and had the class sit in silence for the rest of the hour. The thing is, they didn't mind sitting in silence because they messaged each other on their phones. This was a good thing, because now they didn't have homework. Brendon's accidental outburst started some amazing trick that the whole class loved. 

The bell rang and the class was dismissed. Brendon and Josh ran to the office. The two were late to school today so they didn't have time to pick up their letters this morning. By the time they got to the office they saw their blue haired friend holding three letters in hand. She smiled at them as she handed them their letters. "Let's go get lunch," She walked away from them and towards the room that held lots of noise. 

"Wait!" Brendon yelled at her. "I don't wanna go in there today. I smell good." Brendon whined. 

"Then what are we gonna do?" Ashley rolled her eyes. Brendon smirked. 

"Taco bell isn't far! Josh has a car, let's go!" When his friends made no effort to move Brendon sighed. "I'll pay..." The trio left with smiles. 

* * *

They sat in a booth with their food as they opened their letters. Ashley and Brendon's eyes went wide as they gasped with pieces of taco in their mouth. "Oh, hell yeah!" Ashley yelled and gave Brendon a high five. 

"We've got dates~" Brendon sang. Josh laughed as he saw the two dorks. "Oh, shit," Brendon gasped as he looked to the front of the Taco Bell. "Ashley, did you plan to meet Melanie early or something?" Ashley moved Brendon out of the way, her eyes lit up. 

"Should I call her over? Is that weird?" Ashley asked quickly. 

"Call her over!" Brendon said, pieces of taco falling from his mouth as he yelled at Ashley. 

"Brendon, that's freaking disgusting," Josh said as he mimicked Brendon. Brendon looked at him, his glare hard, but as soon as he realized Josh was doing the same thing he cracked up laughing. 

Ashley was telling them to shut up because they're annoying. Josh was trying to shut up but was failing. Brendon was being Brendon. They forgot what they were doing and just ended up yelling at each other. Minutes later a girl about their age was standing by their table. They all fell silent upon her arrival. Josh stuck a napkin in Brendon's wide open mouth. 

"Oh, shit," Brendon tried to say but failed miserably. 

"Hello. I'm Melanie." The girl smiled at the table. The trio stared at her. 

"She's real," Josh whispered. Ashley kicked him out of the booth and onto the floor. 

"Sorry, Josh is an idiot," Ashley said as she smiled at Melanie. "It's weird to see you here," Ashley said. 

"So, this is what West High kids look like and do," Melanie mused as she looked over the trio. "I think these are my kind of people," She laughed. "So, you're Josh and you're Brendon?" Melanie asked. They nodded. "Look at you!" Melanie said as she looked at Josh. "You make my friend blush! Awe!" She smiled. Josh laughed awkwardly. 

"You!" She pointed at Brendon. "Who's your pen pal?" She questioned. 

"Um...Dallon Weekes," Brendon said. Melanie went silent in thought. A sigh left her lips. "What is something wrong?" 

"I don't know...I just remember something that happened in sixth grade. Dallon used to mess with Ty-Baby and it annoyed me. I think I punched him once, I don't remember. Everything is okay now, I think they have lockers next to each other." Melanie said. "Oh! Ty! I have to go, Ty is in the car and we need to get back to school. The music room is calling. See you tomorrow, Ashley." Melanie winked as she ran out the door. 

"Well, shit." The trio said all together. 

"Josh, have you opened your letter yet?" Brendon asked. Josh stood up off the floor and sat in his seat.

"Yeah, he followed me on Twitter, Insta, and Snap," Josh said. 

"Do you know what he looks like?!" Brendon asked, Josh sighed and shook his head. 

"He doesn't post selfies..."

"Jesus fuck."

 


	12. Chapter 12

To Ty-Baby,

 Yes, I just called you that. Do I regret it? Not at the moment, I probably will later on though.

 Thank you for following me, as thanks I followed you back. I didn't know you were total band trash. Nice to know there's another person like me out there, well besides Brendon and Ashley; they're trash in general now that I'm thinking about it.

 I wanted to ask you a question. Messaging, is that a thing we can do? We can you Twitter's messaging or something, I know it's not too smart to hand out phone numbers this early, someone could not want to do that (was that correct?).

 Oh, I was at Taco Bell today with two idiots and saw Melanie. She came over and we had a quick chat. I was pushed to the ground, Brendon was being weird, Ashley was trying to flirt but she sort of forgot how to when she actually saw Melanie. Lots of stuff happened in three minutes. It was amusing to say the least. Melanie left because she said you were in the car and you two had to get back to school. At least we all have the same lunch schedule. Maybe someday we can all go to Taco Bell and cause a scene. 

 I feel like I've talked about quite a bit. There's still one more thing that just popped into my head though. Not a selfie taker? The closest thing you have to a selfie was a picture of you wearing your hoodie, neck down. The caption was wonderful to say the least, "OMG BEST BIRTHDAY THANKS WIFE MELANIE [heart-eye-emoji] [heart-eye-emoji] [heart-eye-emoji]" I swear I could feel your excitement about that Set It Off hoodie. 

 I guess I'll leave you be, talk to you later.

    -Joshua 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this has taken awhile, im writing another fic that is based off a game. maybe you could check it out? that is if you like my crappy writing ecks dee
> 
> sorry sorry ill let you get to the chapter
> 
> other story ----->>> http://archiveofourown.org/works/9296663/chapters/21069989

"Wow, they look amazing," Melanie stared at her freshly painted nails in awe. Tyler is a God, Melanie decided. He should not have this much talent for painting nails. The drying nail polish glistened and shined in the lamp light on Tyler's desk. Tyler's cheeks were dusted a light pink (the same color as Melanie's nail polish) as he laughed and shut the nail polish bottle. 

"Thanks, Mel, it's relaxing to paint nails," Tyler hummed as he turned the little fan on to dry her nails quicker. He waved his hands back and forth trying to help Melanie's nails dry so he could continue. 

"I wish we could paint your nails too. We could be best friend goals and have matching nail styles," Melanie pouted as she blew on her pretty pink fingernails. Tyler shrugged as a small smile spread across his lips, hardly noticeable. 

"That would be pretty sick, I can't do it, though, at least not while I'm on the team. I'd be judged too much, I don't want to attract attention," Tyler picked up a light blue color and shook the bottle a few times. He uncapped the bottle and sat it down on his desk. Carefully, he took Melanie's hand and made tear designs in the corners of her nails. 

"I know. It's stupid, people are stupid," Melanie sighed. Melanie looked around Tyler's room, a small smile playing her lips as her gaze landed on photos of them from years earlier. "Matching fingernails or not - we are already best friend goals. Look at us," Melanie nodded her head towards the picture collage Tyler had on the wall. Tyler smiled fondly at the college and continue to look down at Melanie's nails. 

"We are a pretty cool duo... at times," Tyler lifted her fingers to examine them. Once he declared them okay they restarted the drying process. 

"We're what everyone wants to be," Melanie smirked with a laugh. Tyler rolled his eyes as he held the small fan over Melanie's fingernails. 

The duo went silent as Tyler coated the second layer. This layer was a clear coat that would protect the pink polish and prevent chipping. Tyler always made sure to have a clear coat when doing nails, he wouldn't do them otherwise. 

Melanie didn't like the silence. Usually, there was no silence between Tyler and Melanie always had something to talk about whether it be gossip, who they think is hot, what they don't like, who messed with them, what messed with them, and what was bothering them. They always knew what was up with each other. And they always helped each other. 

Melanie thought and thought about what could be bothering Tyler because obviously, something was. Tyler isn't silent because if he's silent that gives him time to think. Tyler doesn't like thinking. He says he thinks too much as is. 

Melanie came up with a few reasons as to why Tyler wasn't talking. Reason one being that something happened to him that had to do with the basketball team. Melanie knew that Tyler didn't have the best relationship with the captain of the basketball team. He didn't really talk to anyone on the team outside of practice; even during practice, Tyler didn't talk to them unless he was spoken to. 

Her second guess was that something happened between him and his mother. Maybe Tyler finally refused to take his medicine. Tyler always talks about his medicine. He doesn't like taking it, he hates it. He says that it takes away his emotions and makes him feel like an empty, hollow shell of nothing. The only reason he ever takes it is for the sake of his mother. His mother thinks that it's helping him and that it will eventually make everything better. Newsflash - it won't. It makes Tyler just feel dead. He'd rather have his emotions and suffer a little and feel joy around his friends rather than feeling like a zombie with nothing to do. 

Her third guess was that it was something to do with Josh. After a moment of thinking, Melanie shook her head at that option. Josh has only made Tyler smile with the letters he sent, Melanie herself decided that this option was totally out of question. Josh was a good person, she has met him. He seems nice enough and cool enough to not be a jerk. He wouldn't hurt Tyler's feelings unless he just stopped sending letters. Tyler would have told Melanie if something happened with Josh, though, he's all Tyler ever talks about after all. Maybe that is what happened, did something happened between them? Melanie bit her lip, hopefully not... Now that it was on her mind that's all she could think about. With a huff, she turned her hand into a fist and slammed it on the desk. 

"Tyler!" She yelled even though the boy was right in front of her. Tyler shook as he quickly pulled his hands back. "Did something happen between you and Josh?!" She exclaimed. 

"W-What?" He asked not sure about what was happening. "What do you mean? I-I don't think anything has happened. We just followed each other on Twitter and Instagram," Tyler said as he shook lightly. 

"Nothing bad has happened?" Melanie asked, her tone dropped from a level three to a level one in a matter of seconds. 

"Not that I know of," He said carefully. Melanie's mood faltered. "What's wrong? Why did you ask that?" 

"You were being awfully quiet and you are never quiet. You said that it makes you think when it's quiet; you don't like thinking," Melanie said. 

"Oh, sorry I worried you. I didn't mean to. I've had some stuff on my mind and bringing up the whole nail polish thing made me think of it again," Tyler said with a simple shrug. "I haven't told you about it because I wasn't sure myself. Thinking now I want to say it but I also don't know still." His voice was a lot softer and he grabbed Melanie's hand and finished up with the protecting coat. 

"What have you had on your mind?" Melanie asked as she let her hands fall limp. "You know you can tell me anything, even if you're confused. There's never anything to hide from me, we're best friends." She smiled at him. Tyler smiled a little as he looked at Melanie's hands. 

"You always feel like a girl, right?" Tyler asked. Melanie was taken aback. She looked at Tyler with a questionable look but answered his question. 

"Yeah, I feel like a girl. I am a girl after all." Melanie chuckled nervously not knowing where this was going. 

"Sometimes I feel... I just feel like... I don't know. I feel like I don't belong - why is this so hard to explain?" Tyler asked himself. He put the nail polish down and put the cap on it as he rested his head in his hands. Melanie noticed the tears gathering in his eyes. 

"Ty, Tyler what's wrong?" She asked. 

"Melanie... I... I don't feel like a guy all the time, I don't feel like anything. I just... I just want to be Tyler, I don't want to be categorized by a gender." 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> other story ----->>> http://archiveofourown.org/works/9296663/chapters/21069989


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ THIS!!  
> its not posting all this chapter?!?! ive been messing with it for like thirty minutes and it's not working. so instead of that and putting the second part in another chapter im just going to put the last part in the end notes. so that's where the rest of this chapter will be. sorry for this inconvenience
> 
> IF THAT FOR SOME REASON DOESNT WORK YOU CAN LOOK THIS CHAPTER UP ON WATTPAD!!  
> BUGGIEBUGZ -PEN PALS (ON WATTPAD)

If Tyler was ever right about something it was this: Melanie was basically his mom.

Well not really, she wasn't his birth-giver and was a few months younger than Tyler. But, going against logic and everything the world says, Melanie was a mom to Tyler. Especially right now, at this moment.

Melanie should be making sure that she looks amazing (but when doesn't she?) and that she's ready for her date. She should be a little nervous, but she's not. She is laughing at some stupid little thing Tyler said while she pops popcorn in the microwave.

Tyler was sat on the couch in his pajamas cuddling with his absolutely favorite soft blanket watching T.V. because Melanie told him to while she pops some popcorn. She told him to rest because he's been on edge today. She basically didn't want him to have a panic attack right now or once she leaves. She wants him to feel safe and calm.

Tyler played with his fingernails as he paid no attention to the movie that was on T.V. After biting all his fingernails off without realizing it he sighed and pulled out his phone. He pushed the home button noticing the time was 6:38, Melanie was supposed to meet at the movie theater at 7:00. Tyler sighed as he stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Melanie was sitting on the counter watching the microwave as it counted down. "Melanie," Tyler spoke, his voice slightly cracked from crying earlier. Melanie looked over at him, a light smile rested on her face. "You should get going, you'll be late if you don't."

"I should be able to make it in time," Melanie said as she turned back towards the popcorn.

"I can get it when it's done. You really should get going. I wouldn't want you to be late for your date," Tyler said with a smile. Melanie bit her bottom lip as she looked over at Tyler. She sighed as she gave Tyler a hug, Tyler smiled knowing that he had won this one time.

"Okay," She said softly. "I'll see you tomorrow, we're going to the mall at noon. Be ready!" She said with a smile before walking towards the front door. She grabbed the handle and opened the door, she was quick to turn around and yell, "Goodnight and be safe!" before she walked out to her car.

Tyler smiled to himself as he grabbed the bag of popcorn and walked back over to the couch. He plopped down and comfortably stretched out. His bowl of popcorn rested on his stomach as he went through his Twitter feed. He noticed that Josh was tweeting about being alone tonight, he couldn't help but type the reply of "same" before he continued scrolling.

He wanted to just log off and go to bed. That's what he wanted to do, but he wasn't tired and he didn't want to lay in bed with his thoughts. Instead, he decided to do something a bit riskier. With shaky hands, he pushed on the private message button. He entered Joshua's name and was brought to an empty chat room. He typed a simple "Hi" and held his phone to his face while nervously eating popcorn and waiting for a reply.

joshuadun: salutations

tybaby: I wasn't expecting a reply

joshuadun: why not

tybaby: I usually don't get replies right away

joshuadun: well i was just doing nothing

joshuadun: getting a notification is pretty historical

Tyler snickered.

tybaby: yeah it's a pretty historical event that will go down in the books

joshuadun: very

joshuadun: are you doing anything 

tybaby: I'm laying on my couch eating popcorn

tybaby: it's very important 

joshuadun: I'm eating a banana

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tybaby: we cannot be friends
> 
> tybaby: goodbye.
> 
> joshuadun: wAIT IM KIDDING
> 
> joshuadun: BANANAS ARE DISGUSTING
> 
> joshuadun: I've never met someone who doesn't like bananas
> 
> joshuadun: we're soulmates
> 
> tybaby: ok
> 
> tybaby: hello soulmate I hardly know
> 
> joshuadun: do you wanna know me
> 
> tybaby: there's no harm in getting to know someone
> 
> joshuadun: okay ask a question
> 
> tybaby: have you ever ate a bug?
> 
> In science they were talking about bugs for some reason. Some kid said that they ate a bug and it popped into Tyler's head.
> 
> joshuadun: um yes actually
> 
> joshuadun: I used to eat ants to impress girls
> 
> Tyler bit his lip, feeling a little hurt.
> 
> joshuadun: it didn't impress them
> 
> joshuadun: but that's okay because these days I'm more into the guys with nice asses
> 
> tybaby: that's good to know
> 
> joshuadun: ;D
> 
> joshuadun: omg do you have a nice ass
> 
> joshuadun: i mean
> 
> joshuadun: no homo with that question?
> 
> tybaby: woah question level upgraded
> 
> tybaby: to answer your question idk
> 
> tybaby:


	15. Chapter 15

 To My Pen Pal,

  Thank you for conversating with me this weekend. It was fun to get to know you a little more, even if it was just about your humor. Talking to you definitely made my Friday night better. So thank you for that, Joshua. 

  I've got nothing else to really say, it was a fun conversation. I hope we can have more in the future. 

  Sincerely, Ty-Ty


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> them  
> //  
> they

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tomorrow is my last basketball game of the season x.x  
> our assistant coach said that our coach was so sad because we're leaving him, we were his first team and have been with him for three years. this has been our best season and he's helped us a lot so we've been working on something for him and will continue to be working on it //that may be a reason for slower updates//

  "I grabbed her hand during the movie," Melanie said with a grin as she and Tyler walked to school. "Dallon was flirting with that Brendon dude as soon as he got there. You could feel how bad they wanted in each others pants, dude." Melanie was very excited to tell Tyler her story about the date and how everything played out. She was going to tell Tyler over the phone as soon as she got home Friday night but Tyler said to wait until Monday so he could hear it in person. But because Monday was so far away Melanie asked if she could come over and tell him Saturday, to that Tyler said he wouldn't be there Saturday because he had to go to basketball practice; his father was making him attend because he was "sick" last weekend and couldn't make it. 

  "What are Brendon and Ashley like?" Tyler questioned. 

  "They're nice. Brendon is a child trapped in a teenage boy's body. Ashley is mature enough, she likes to have fun and mess with people. They're good people to hang around and will probably raise your mood if you're ever down around them." Melanie nodded as she spoke as Tyler also nodded, signaling that he was listening to what she was saying. A small smile graced his lips as they continued to talk about Brendon and Ashley. Tyler decided that someday, he would have to meet these two. 

  The two fell in a comfortable silence as the neared the school. Melanie bumped into Tyler lightly as she skipped along the sidewalk. "Hey, Ty, can I ask you something?" Melanie asked as she walked backward, facing Tyler. 

  "Yeah, what do you want to ask?" Tyler asked quietly as he bit at his lips. 

  "Friday you said that you just wanted to be you, right?" Tyler's breath hitched. He's forgotten that he told Melanie that before she left, he was too entertained with his and Josh's conversation to even think about that. He bit his lip as he continued to walk as he nodded to Melanie's question. "Are there any specific pronouns or anything that you want to go by?" Melanie asked. Tyler hummed for a moment, he thought about this Saturday night. He was exhausted because the captain made him run suicides for skipping practice these past few days; while his body didn't want to move and needed rest his mind was wide awake. He was thinking about a lot of random things but most of all what he wanted to go by, pronoun-wise. After hours and hours of thinking, he decided. 

  "I don't really care what pronouns people use... though I'd like to use they and them, I don't mind if someone forgets and accidently uses other terms," Tyler answered truthfully. Melanie nodded with a smile as she gave Tyler a hug. "Thank you for supporting me and being my best friend," Tyler muttered as they hugged her back. 

  "No problem. As long as you keep painting my nails like a pro I'll keep being your best friend," Melanie said with a giggle following after. Tyler nudged her with a grin as they walked to school. With a deep, content breath in Tyler smiled. Today felt like it was going to be a good day for them.

* * *

   "Just back the fuck up man," Melanie shouted at a sweaty boy a foot taller than her as she pushed him away and walked into the gym doors. The school was mostly empty, there were some bands kids walking around skipping out on band practice, some athletes running to get water from the water fountain, and random kids studying but it was nothing like what school was usually like. Melanie was a little surprised at first, she's never stayed after school so she doesn't know what it's like after regular school hours. It's a drastic change from the chaotic atmosphere. 

  "You can't go in there, people are practicing, lady," Another tall boy said as Melanie walked into the gym. She slammed the door shut behind her gaining the attention of every boy in the gym. They all looked at her. 

  "Melanie, you're not allowed to be in here while we're practicing," The captain said to her as he glared at her. She glared back, twice as hard. 

  "Shut the fuck up, Austin," Melanie yelled at him, her voice echoing off the gym walls. "Where's Tyler?" She asked. 

  "He's getting some water-"

  "You're an asshole," Melanie flipped him off as she walked across the court and out of the other doors on the opposing side. She walked out of the gym and down the hallway. She sped up as she heard heavy breathing. She made a hard right turn and saw Tyler bending over the water fountain in their jeans and jacket trying to catch their breath. She ran over and helped them sit up straight. 

  "M-Mel?" Tyler asked as they looked over at the girl, wheezing. She hushed them and tried helping them take off their hoodie. Once she took it off of them she helped them stand up. 

  "Here," She grabbed a Gatorade out of her backpack and handed it to them. They took it without question and chugged it. "God fucking fuck. I'm going to murder him, I swear to God," She muttered to herself as Tyler leaned against the wall. "Today was supposed to be a good day for you, nothing ever works out." 

  "Thank you," Tyler muttered as they sent a smile Melanie's way. She growled as she heard footsteps approach them. 

  "What the fuck do you want, Austin? Fuck off and go back to Texas where you belong you shit," Melanie yelled as she saw the tall boy walk out into the hallway. 

  "Tyler has to finish his running, his dad told us to run him because he's been skipping," Austin said as he glared at the short girl. 

  "No. Tyler is exhausted and is coming over to my house for the rest of the day, fuck you." Melanie helped Tyler up off the ground. They really were exhausted after two sleepless nights running for thirty minutes exhausted them more than it should have. What made it even more uncomfortable is that they didn't plan on going to practice to they had to wear their jeans and hoodie. The hoodie because they were a tank top to school and it was against school dress code to wear tank tops (what the heck). 

  "I don't care. It's what his dad wanted, take him if you want," Austin shrugged as he walked back into the gym. Melanie grabbed Tyler and helped them up. 

  "I'll call your mom. She loves me. I'll tell I needed you to help me with something and picked you up from practice. Okay?" Melanie asked. 

  Tyler nodded. "I'm so tired..." 

  "I know. Sorry I couldn't get here sooner." 

  "Thank you."

  "No problem," Melanie said as she started walking towards the exited off the school with Tyler leaning on her. "Oh, I also picked up a letter for you. I'll give it to you in the car," She winked at Tyler. Tyler smiled as they thanked the Gods above for allowing them to have a friend like Melanie. 

  


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bburie: also got more likes than ash  
>  91 likes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is a mess

**crybaby**

cunts wanna mess with @tybaby online too???? come fight me assholes if school wasn't enough im good after too. fuck you all dickwads. 

**104 likes  35 comments**

_**halsey**_ whose ass am i beating today  
     **79 likes**

 ** _bburie_** fuck all lets goooooo  
    **81 likes**

 ** _bburie_** also got more likes than ash   
    **91 likes**

 _ **joshuadun**_ what the fuck is happening  
    **102 likes**

**_posted 1 hour ago_ **

* * *

joshuadun: can i ask what's happening?

tybaby: hell yeah you can. im about to beat some assholes to the ground and they aren't gonna get back up

tybaby: if i go to jail i need u to take care of ty

tybaby: oh yeah this is melanie

tybaby: tyler is literally exhausted from running and crying

tybaby: they have taken shelter at my house 

joshuadun: youre typing just so fast

joshuadun: what happened???

joshuadun: is tyler okay????

joshuadun: he's okay, right?

tybaby: fuck

tybaby: they use they them pronouns goddamnit

tybaby: fUCK

tybaby: i WnNAa mudRERDddER 

tybaby: hold me down because i swear to all the young gods that i will murder this austin fuck

joshuadun: what the fuck is happening melanie?

tybaby: TYLER HATES BASKETBALL BUT THEY'RE TOO SCARED OF QUITTING BECAUSE THEY'RE FAMILY WANTED THEM TO PLAY

tybaby: THEIR CAPTAIN IS THE BIGGEST DICK I KNOW AND OWNS THE SMALLEST DICK

tybaby: AND IM ABOUT TO MURDER HIM BECAUSE APPARENTLY MAKING TYLER RUN FOR UNTIL THEY COULDN't BREATH WASN'T ENOUGH 

joshuadun: oh my god

tybaby: im going to jail tonight 

tybaby: i swear it. 

joshuadun: give me this pricks usernames right now.

tybaby: austinawsome 

tybaby: fucking cunt spelt awesome wrong too

* * *

joshuadun: hello.

austinawsome: Who they fuck are you?

austinawsome: another asshole?

joshuadun: i'm joshua dun.

joshuadun: and id like to inform you that i will literally make your life a living hell if you do not leave tyler and melanie alone. 

joshuadun: you dont know me and i dont really know you. i dont need to know you either to knock your ass out. 

joshuadun: ive done it before, there's nothing stopping me from doing it again. 

austinawsome: Woah am I supposed to be intimatdated?

austinawsome: yeah right, you could just be an alt account made by that tyler freak

austinawsome: fuck off 

joshuadun: wanna meet at the seven eleven? i will hurt you. i don't care who you think you are. i live right down the road from that store and go to North High. i've played football for years and am not scared of someone who thinks they're greater than others. 

austinawsome: fuck off idiot

**austinawsome has blocked you**

* * *

 

joshuadun: that guys a fucking coward.

tybaby: HELL YEAH

tybaby: IM STILL GONNA BEAT HIS ASS  
   

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #hateaustin ??


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melanie forgets her guitar at North High

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> //THIS IS UNEDITED//
> 
> the f word that is used to describe homosexual people is used in here. it hurts me to write it but it's only used once this chapter so if you can't handle that just don't read this chapter? Idk I'm sorry bout that

  "I think you should meet them," Melanie sipped on her splashy as she walked away from  the school called West High and towards the school titled North High. "They might be shy and try to go away at first but in the end they would really enjoy meeting you." 

  "I guess. You know them better than I do so I should take your word for it," Josh said as he walked next to Melanie. The two decided to hang out since they both had something in common now; they both wanted to beat Austin's ass. That was a valid enough reason to get to know each other better. 

  "Hey, maybe you could meet them today. We are heading back to North High anyway. They should be in the gym with the rest of the team," Melanie smiled as she skipped a head. "Why're we heading the North again?" She stopped to ask. A confused look crawled onto her face as Josh laughed. 

  "You said that you left something important," Josh reminded her. Melanie nodded as she was reminded. 

  "Right. I left my guitar," she said. "Let's hurry up and get it!" 

 

* * *

  "Why is doesn't Tyler just talk to his dad about quitting?" Josh asked. "It's just his father right? His mom wouldn't mind?" Melanie had told Josh a little bit about Tyler. Josh was a very curious person. 

  "They're scared," Melanie said with a sigh as she held her guitar case. "They don't want to disappoint their family," Melanie bit her tongue. She stopped walking and wiped her eye left eye with her left hand as a shaky sigh left her mouth. "They're selfless and - and they just, they don't want to - you know? They don't want to have their dad hating them." 

  "Their dad wouldn't hate them just because they want to quit basketball," Josh said quietly. 

  "Well…" Melanie ran a hand through her hair. "That's what they think. I have tried to convince them but - but they don't, don't get convinced easily. They're stubborn and see things their own way." 

  "Okay..." Josh mumbled, he put his hands in his pockets as they continued to walk. "Um - uh, this is a nice school. The hallways are a lot cleaner than West's." Melanie stifled a laugh. Josh was a bit awkward, she decided, but it was nice. 

  "Hey, um, do you mind if we stop by the gym? I just, I want to check up on Tyler," Melanie said as they stopped outside the gym doors. Josh sent her a questioning look. "I - I wouldn't usually just stop by and interfere with their practices. I just, you ever have a bad feeling? I just feel weird about Tyler attending practice after, yknow..." Josh nodded as he motioned to the doors. A smile graced Melanie's lips as she opened the door for the both of them. 

  "What're you doing here, shorty?" A boy asked as he hustled over to Melanie and Josh. A warm smile was on his sweaty face, Melanie recognized him as Andrew. Some kid on the yearbook committee that she shared a class with, he's a nice guy, as far as Mel can tell.

  "Just checking up on a friend, is um, is Tyler around? I don't see them," Melanie said as she looked around. 

  "I don't think he's been here today," Andrew said as he also looked around. "I got here late though, I can ask someone if you want." 

  "Please do," Melanie nodded. Andrew walked towards some other boys to talk to them. As Andrew walked away Melanie looked at Josh as she worried about Tyler. If they skipped they would have told Melanie. Andrew jogged back over to the duo. 

  "Apparently, Tyler went to the bathroom awhile ago," Andrew said. Melanie nodded and turned around. 

  "Thank you," she said as she walked away with Josh following behind her. As she opened the gym doors to leave she was met with a sweaty body. She stepped back and looked at the person. She growled as she pushed him. "Move it, you asshole," she sneered. 

  "Bitch, watch yourself," the guy said as he pushed her. Josh grabbed her quickly before she could fall. 

  "What the fuck, man? Dont do that to her," Josh said quickly as he looked at the guy. He was a few inches taller than Josh, Josh being 6'1 and this guy being around 6'3. 

  "Who are you, asshole?" The guy asked. Josh notices that the guys fist was bloody and that his voice was messed up. Who was this kid?

  "Where's Tyler?" Melanie asked as she looked at the guy. 

  "Why would I know where that fag is?" Austin rolled his eyes as he walked into the gym. 

  "One of these days I will fucking murder you in the absolute worse way possible, Austin!" Melanie screamed at the top of her lungs. As the door shut she stormed off towards the bathrooms. She walked into the males bathroom as she looked around. Josh followed her in, feeling very anxious about this situation. 

  Josh noticed that there was smeared blood on the walls tile, but only in that spot. He a,so noticed the bathroom stall door was closed. Melanie was picking up a red backpack and putting objects in it. Josh knocked on the stall door. "Hello?" He asked. No answer. He listened quietly and heard the light sound of a beat from a song. 

  Josh knocked louder on the door. On the other side a phone dropped and someone gasped in shock. "S-Sorry!" The person on the other side said as they opened the door. The person was met with Josh and looked at him shocked. "J-Joshua?" They asked. 

  "Um, Tyler?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> um


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "They're not dating, are they?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i sorta neglected this fic for ten days :((

  Joshua didn't know how someone could be so gorgeous. Tyler was stunning to Josh. So stunning that Joshua just stared at Tyler, though with him just staring there wasn't much for Tyler to do but stare back. 

  If you saw them in public right now you'd think they were lost, confused on where they were trying to go. They weren't lost in person per say, they were lost in each other's eyes for the time being. Dark brown stared at a lighter, beautiful brown. Melanie wasn't going to lie, the little thing they had going on looked like something out of a movie. If it were a movie they probably would have kissed or broken contact; none of that happened as they searched the each other souls. 

  Melanie decided that they could do this later, she needed to get Tyler home because right now they looked like a mess. Not just a sweaty mess they looked like they were fighting a war in their head at the moment. Something once again happened at practice. Melanie swore that she was going to kill Austin. He just doesn't know when to stop. 

  "Ty, let's get you home, okay?" Melanie asked. Tyler nodded as they grabbed their backpack from Melanie and started walking out of the bathroom. Melanie's eyes dulled as she followed Tyler. She waved Josh to follow her as the duo followed Tyler. 

  Tyler's movements were sluggish as they dragged their feet across the floor. Josh could even tell that this wasn't normal for them and he'd never even met Tyler before in person. 

  The walk was silent as Melanie followed Tyler and Josh followed Melanie to Tyler's house. Josh felt very nervous, just knowing that he was going to step into Tyler's house when he just met them. He's never done that before - to anyone. 

  They arrived at a house. Tyler came to a stop as they looked at the car in the driveway. "On second thought," Tyler said quickly as they turned around. "Basketball practice isn't looking so bad now." They tried to get away and just run off but Melanie stopped them.

  "I'll deal with them," She said as she looked Tyler in the eyes. Her look was stern as she made the boy look at her. "Don't run away from this, Tyler." 

  She dragged them up to the door. Without knocking she opened it. Kelly was in the living room. She looked towards the door and saw Melanie. "Melanie, hun, do you know if Tyler took his medication today?" Kelly asked. Melanie looked at Tyler who pouted and looked away. 

  "I think th-he did," Melanie asked as she walked in. "Is Chris home?" 

  "Yes, he got off early today. He's in the bathroom cleaning up right now," Kelly said. Tyler pushed through Melanie and ran up the stairs quickly. 

  "Okay, thanks!" Melanie said as she grabbed Josh's hand and ran up the stairs as well. Josh's eyes were wide as he was dragged along. They left a very confused Kelly downstairs. 

  Melanie pulled Josh into Tyler's room quickly and shut the door. Tyler was pacing around their room. "Sit down," Melanie ordered Tyler. Tyler glared at her before sighing and sitting down. "Tell us what happened, Ty," She pleaded as she sat down on the floor. Josh awkwardly stood by the door, wondering if he should just run out and go home. 

  "W-Why's - how'd you get in contact with Josh?" Tyler asked as they stared at the boy again. Josh stared back because Tyler's eyes seemed to cast a spell on him, not letting him look away as they pull him closer. 

  "I messaged him on your phone the other day," Melanie shrugged. "We were planning on how to fucking murder Austin." 

  "That's not very nice of you to do," Tyler mumbled. 

  "It's not very nice of him to be messing with you either," Josh spoke up. Tyler and Melanie stared at him for a moment. "What, it isn't?" 

  "Right," Melanie agreed. "Now tell me what all happened."

  Tyler groaned as they leaned back onto their bed. "I was practicing like everyone else and Austin thought he should start yelling at me for missing a shot. After some slurs were spilled and some unkindly phrases were said I started yelling back. 

  "Of course things didn't go my way because he's the captain and all that crap so I walked out. I grabbed my stuff and went to the bathroom. Asshole followed me and ripped by backpack from my hands and threw it against the floor. I locked myself in a stall as he yelled outside the stalls and punched the wall. I ignored him and just listened to my music than you guys showed up," Tyler said calmly. Melanie jumped up from her spot on the floor. 

  "Fucking cunt," She yelled as she kicked the door. Josh looked at her with a shocked expression. 

  "Melanie!" Kelly yelled from downstairs. 

  "I'm having a problematic situation, ma!" Melanie yelled to Kelly. Melanie opened the door and poked her head out. "How long will I go to jail for slicing a dudes dick off?" 

  "Melanie Adele Martinez!" Kelly yelled as she walked up the stairs. 

  "oh shit," Melanie said quietly as she shut the door. Moments later Kelly walked into the room. 

  "Hey," Melanie said innocently with a smile. 

  "Uh-huh," Kelly said, she looked around the room and noticed her son's depressed mood immediately. She sat down on the bed next to him. "Tyler, what happened today?" She asked him. 

  "Nothing," The answer was far too quick. 

  "Okay," She wasn't going to poke at the situation with his friends in the room. "Who's your new friend that I haven't been introduced to?" She asked nicely. 

  "That's Josh," Tyler said as they sat up and smiled at him. 

  "Nice to meet you," Josh said shyly as he smiled at her. 

  "Nice to meet you too dear," Kelly said as she looked at Melanie. "They aren't dating are they?" She asked the girl. Tyler's face turned scarlet, Josh played with his hands, and Melanie laughed. 

  "No, they're not," She laughed.  

  "Okay," Kelly nodded as she stood up. "I'll leave you three be." She started to walk out but turned back to Melanie. "What's your words little lady, the other kids are about to be back from school," Kelly warned. 

  Melanie nodded as Kelly left. 

  "Jesus Christ," Tyler groaned into their pillow. "She's so embarrassing." The other two in the room laughed. 

                                                                                                       

  


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this sucks a lot im sorry

Mel: i'm staying after school today

Mel: tell me if that suck does anything to u at practice

Mel: fuck*

Mel: i'm good at english okuy

Mel: fUCk

Mel: okay just k]onw thta im in the music room

Ty: I'll keep that in mind 

"You have the hots for Tyler, don't you?" Melanie asked the boy that was present with her in the music room. She's been hanging out with Josh a lot lately. He's a cool guy and she totally isn't trying to set Josh and her best friend up. 

  "W-What?!" Josh dropped his drumsticks as he looked at Melanie with wide eyes. Melanie giggled to herself and strung some strings on her guitar. "You think I have a thing for Tyler?" 

  "Well, what else am I supposed to think? You two were basically undressing each other with your eyes the other day," Melanie said with a pout. "Plus you're like super gay, they're like super gay - it's a match!"

  "Melanie, oh my gosh," Josh rubbed his eyes as he picked his drumsticks up. "Tyler, they like have a lot going on right now? Right? They don't need to be dealing with me," Josh said with a slight frown. 

  "Is that how you see it?" Melanie asked - honest curiosity in her voice as her head tilted in confusion. 

  "See what?" Josh asked as he mocked Melanie's movements. "How I see their situation right now?" Melanie nodded confirming what he said. "They're dealing with a lot, wouldn't a relationship just put more stress on Tyler right now?"

  "No?" Melanie asked. She sighed and looked at Josh with a stern look. "Tyler - they - um, let's see..." She thought for a moment humming to herself. "Relationships that they want don't stress them. It's comforting to them. I think that the last time they were in a good relationship was like in middle school. It was with this one guy but he moved away so now Tyler hasn't been in any relationships." 

  "So you're saying they enjoy relationships and it helps them cope with stress basically?" Josh asked. 

  "Yeah! Like, Tyler cares about people and they care about people caring about them. They want to feel cared for and they want to just be able to be Tyler. So as far as I've seen it they just want a relationship with trust, comforting, friendliness, and all that stuff. It's like a best friend - that they can kiss and make out with," Melanie said with a nod. Her words were jumbled up but she got out the basics. 

  "I get what you're saying," Josh confirmed. 

  "So you're going to ask them out?" Melanie asked with a grin. 

  "Maybe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that sucked and im so so sorry you had to read such a sucky chapter  
> i'm just not up for writing a good chapter and somewhat looking over it but i felt the need to update   
> science homework here i come

**Author's Note:**

> woot woot noot noot 
> 
> These are gonna be pretty short chapters


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